Bringing Expected Hotel Count to more than 100 Properties in Two Years

September 17, 2014 // Franchising.com // MCLEAN, Va, USA - Hilton Worldwide announces plans to open nearly 40 hotels and resorts in Latin America by the end of 2016, increasing its portfolio in the region by approximately 60 percent within the next two years. With recent openings joining the portfolio and new projects growing the development pipeline, Hilton Worldwide is slated to maintain its development momentum and continue bringing its industry-leading brands to new destinations throughout the region.

As of Q2 2014, Hilton Worldwide has nearly 12,000 rooms at 62 hotels and resorts open and welcoming guests throughout Latin America, including recent openings such as the 347-room Hilton Panama and the 105-room Hampton by Hilton Cali in Colombia. The company's development pipeline is growing consistently with more than 6,000 rooms and more than 40 signed projects, with upcoming openings including the highly anticipated 298-room Hilton Barra, Rio de Janeiro and the 226-room DoubleTree by Hilton Santiago – Vitacura in Chile.

"Hilton Worldwide continues experiencing a period of remarkable global growth – as one of the industry's largest and fastest growing hospitality companies. Latin America is a dominant player in this growth and we are committed to continuing this trend in the region," said Tom Potter, senior vice president, Caribbean, Mexico and Latin America, for Hilton Worldwide. "With stable and growing economies, Latin America affords tremendous opportunities and we have the right team in place to continue introducing the right brands to target markets with significant potential for growth."

Brands and Target Markets

While Hilton Worldwide plans to develop all of its brands throughout Latin America, there is significant interest in two of its focused service brands: Hampton Hotels and Hilton Garden Inn. Hampton Hotels has successfully demonstrated its benefits for multi-property opportunities as well as value-driven markets in key and secondary cities. Hilton Garden Inn is the ideal mid-market brand for developers and consumers alike, and in many locations, represents the major branded hotel in the city. These two brands currently represent approximately 75% of the Latin America development pipeline.

There is also continued interest in the company's flagship Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand for full-service hotel management agreements in key gateway cities, and DoubleTree by Hilton for full-service hotel conversions.

Hilton Worldwide is working diligently to continue the portfolio's growth in Latin America and is focused on a number of key destinations, with Mexico leading the charge as the fastest growing in the region with more than 20 of the signed deals.

As of Q2 2014, Hilton Worldwide's development pipeline of 43 hotels includes:

New Deals

Hilton Worldwide has a number of management and franchise agreements currently in the works. The company has just signed a new strategic development agreement in Chile to bring a number of Hampton Hotels to the country. This is the second strategic development agreement Hilton Worldwide has signed for new hotels in Chile, with the first announced earlier this year. There are plans to formally add several new projects to the Mexico pipeline including three Hampton Hotels and one Hilton Garden Inn signed earlier this month.

Recent Openings

The latest openings in the region are a testament to the company's commitment to expansion in this part of the world.

From 2013 to date 2014, the company has added eight hotels and more than 1,400 rooms to the Latin America portfolio including:

Waldorf Astoria Panama – 248 rooms

Hilton Panama – 347 rooms

Hampton by Hilton Barranquilla, Colombia – 125 rooms

Hampton by Hilton Cartagena, Colombia – 135 rooms

Hampton by Hilton Cali, Colombia – 105 rooms

Home2 Suites by Hilton Queretaro, Mexico – 97 rooms

Hilton Garden Inn Boca del Rio Veracruz – 108 rooms

Hilton Mexico City Santa Fe – 260 rooms

An additional seven hotels and more than 1,000 rooms are expected to open by the end of this year including:

Hilton Barra, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 298 rooms

Hilton Garden Inn Iquique, Chile – 136 rooms

Hilton Garden Inn Barranquilla, Colombia – 123 rooms

Hampton Inn by Hilton Hermosillo, Mexico – 151 rooms

Hampton Inn by Hilton Silao - Aeropuerto, Mexico – 110 rooms

Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Los Cabos, Mexico – 101 rooms

Hampton by Hilton Panama – 108 rooms

Hilton Worldwide's Latin America development team plans to continue this momentum, bringing new brands to new markets with great potential for growth, offering unique features for specific market needs. The dedicated team is expanding Hilton Worldwide's presence throughout the region with management and franchise agreements, including new builds and conversions.

For further information on Hilton Worldwide's development opportunities, visit www.hiltonworldwide.com/development.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxury and full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and focused-service hotels. For 95 years, Hilton Worldwide has been dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences. The company's portfolio of eleven world-class global brands is comprised of more than 4,200 managed, franchised, owned and leased hotels and timeshare properties, with more than 690,000 rooms in 93 countries and territories, including Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Curio - A Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages an award-winning customer loyalty program, Hilton HHonors®. Visit news.hiltonworldwide.com more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.

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